New HD set-up

[mrob]

I am trying to transfer all my files from one 80 GB HD to another and then use the
new drive as the boot drive. Then the old drive would be removed from the computer.
So far, I've got the second HD running as slave and completed the set-up and format
using MS Disk Management, but the drive paramenters are described as:
Layout: Simple
Type: Dynamic
File System: NTFS
How do I make this the primary partition? Shouldn't the Type be Basic?

[Panama Red]

When you say "transfer all my files", are you referring to your personal files or the operating system (XP) too? What software do you plan to use to clone the Master to the Slave (if that's your plan)?

A better plan would be to do a fresh install on the new drive without even having the old drive connected. The when the system is up and running, add the old drive as a slave and transfer your personal files, favorites, etc to the new one.

[mrob]

Originally Posted by Panama Red When you say "transfer all my files", are you referring to your personal files or the operating system (XP) too? What software do you plan to use to clone the Master to the Slave (if that's your plan)? A better plan would be to do a fresh install on the new drive without even having the old drive connected. The when the system is up and running, add the old drive as a slave and transfer your personal files, favorites, etc to the new one.

I plan to transfer the OS and personal files using xxcopy. I did the same with a Win95 computer and it worked fine. Is there any reason why it shoudn't work with WinXP?

[Panama Red]

Nope, should work fine. I wasn't sure if your were cloning or not. I've never used xxcopy tho'.

[glc]

No, you cannot use xxcopy with XP. You have to clone the drive. You definitely do NOT want it to be dynamic. Clone it with the drive manufacturer's utility or Ghost, Drive Image, Acronis, etc. off a bootdisk.

[mrob]

Originally Posted by glc No, you cannot use xxcopy with XP. You have to clone the drive. You definitely do NOT want it to be dynamic. Clone it with the drive manufacturer's utility or Ghost, Drive Image, Acronis, etc. off a bootdisk.

Are there any shareware programs that will do the same thing?

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

The manufacturer of the hard disk will format the new drive and clone the old drive onto it. They are free, look on the manufacturers website for a utility.

[glc]

You can use the utility from either the brand of the old drive or the new drive - new drive recommended if one exists. WD's (Data Lifeguard Tools) and Maxtor's (Maxblast 3) are the best, download the bootdisk version.

[mrob]

Whats and glc: Thanks for the information.